Counting is well underway in the North Lanarkshire election to determine who will run Scotland’s fourth-largest local authority.
A total of 77 councillors are to be returned across the area’s 21 wards, with today’s count at Ravenscraig sports centre expected to last until early evening.
First to be declared will be the wards of Airdrie South, Coatbridge South, Kilsyth, Motherwell West and Gartcosh, Glenboig & Moodiesburn; with ballot boxes from the other 16 areas then being opened in three more groups throughout the day.
Ballot papers were stored securely overnight after the close of polls at 10pm yesterday and are being scanned and electronically counted in four groups throughout the day.
A group of 39 councillors would be needed to earn an outright majority; no party achieved that total back in 2017, with the SNP taking 33 seats on polling day but Labour, with 32, going on to form a minority administration.
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